Tracking SDG 7: The Energy Progress Report 2025
2025-06-25 14:00 - 16:00 (Africa/Johannesburg) | virtual
How many people around the world today still lack access to clean energy? And how many people still rely on dirty fossil fuels for cooking, risking their health in consequence? Additionally, how much international funds have been flowing to the developing countries in support of their clean energy development?
The answers to these questions are related to the targets set forth in the UN Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 7, which aims to ensure universal access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy by 2030.
Join the virtual briefing to learn more about the latest data that will be revealed in the new Tracking SDG 7: The Energy Progress Report 2025.
While progress has been made, it is marked by wide regional disparities, underscoring the urgency for more impact-driven financing support from the international community to developing countries.
Key trends ahead of the data release include:
- Access to electricity has increased, but progress is uneven across the world.
- Progress is lagging on universal access to clean cooking.
- Renewable energy continued to grow. But installed renewable capacity per capita shows geographic disparities.
- Energy intensity declined but the energy efficiency rate needs major improvement.
- International public financial flows to developing countries in support of clean energy increased compared to previous years.
- The report is a product of close collaboration among the five SDG 7 custodian agencies.
Please check the agencies’ websites and social media accounts on 25 June for the full report:
- International Energy Agency (IEA): www.iea.org
- International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA): www.irena.org
- United Nations Statistics Division (UNSD): https://unstats.un.org/UNSDWebsite
- World Bank: https://trackingsdg7.esmap.org/
- World Health Organization (WHO): www.who.int
The report will also be presented to decision-makers at a special launch event on 16 July 2025 at 1:15pm EDT at the High-Level Political Forum (HLPF) on Sustainable Development in New York, open to registered HLPF participants and anyone with a United Nations ground pass, and livestreamed at webtv.un.org.

Webinar: Last Mile Distribution - State of the sector 2025
2025-09-18 13:00 - 14:30 (Africa/Johannesburg)
Join the Global Distributors Collective (GDC) for the global launch of the Last Mile Distribution (LMD): State of the sector 2025 report!
This session will unpack fresh data on business trends in the LMD sector, product reach, and customer impact. It will also explore key challenges and opportunities faced by GDC members, as well as recommendations for stakeholders looking to work more closely with distributors moving forwards.
This is an interactive session featuring a presentation from the GDC team as well as firsthand insights from GDC members and sector experts. After the plenary session concludes (at the 60-minute mark) we'll disperse into optional, thematic breakout group discussions to engage informally on topics such as access to finance, productive uses of energy, inclusive business models, and more.
The GDC Last Mile Distribution: State of the sector 2025 is funded with UK aid from the UK government, via the Transforming Energy Access platform.

Webinar - The path to universal energy access in an era of shrinking aid
2025-10-08 15:00 - 16:00 (Europe/Amsterdam)
Achieving universal energy access looks more challenging than ever. Faced with geopolitical and domestic pressures, traditional donor countries, including the United States, the UK, France, and Germany have slashed their aid budgets and redirected their focus to defence and deficit reduction.
What does this mean for the 600-plus million people who remain without electricity in Africa?
The answers are complex. African governments and private sector representatives are seeking to reduce reliance on foreign aid, emphasising home-grown solutions to further electrification as a key step to improve the lives of Africans. Additionally. whilst aid from western nations is declining, there are signs that countries from across the Middle East and Asia are stepping up to bridge the gap, raising questions about the political influence they may seek in return.
If you find these issues fascinating, join the panel of experts to exchange knowledge and chart the way forward for rural electrification and universal energy access in Africa.
Main themes in this webinar:

Find out how governments across Africa are adapting to achieve universal energy access on their own terms
Understand the role of renewable energy and decentralised models in bolstering electrification and economic development across the continent
Learn more about commercially sustainable models that seek to accelerate the rate of electrification whilst reducing reliance on aid and subsidies.

Anita Otubu

Senior Director
UEF at SEforALL

Olamide Niyi-Afuye

Chief Executive Officer
AMDA

Webinar - IEA Financing electricity access in Africa
2025-11-24 16:00 - 17:15 (Europe/Paris)
Access to electricity is a cornerstone of economic development, poverty reduction and social equity. However, almost 600 million people in Africa lack access to electricity today, with progress falling far behind the targets set by both African governments and the international community.
In a new report, Financing Electricity Access in Africa, the IEA provides in-depth analysis of the spending required to close this gap. Based on first-of-its-kind tracking of public and private investment flows, it outlines the financial measures needed to achieve universal access.
This online event will present the key findings of the report, followed by a panel discussion on key challenges and potential solutions. The discussion will feature insights from a range of stakeholders working to expand electricity access across the continent. This will be followed by an interactive Q&A session.

Webinar: Lessons on subsidy design for expanding energy access in humanitarian and displacement settings
2025-12-11 16:00 - 17:15 (Africa/Johannesburg)
The Global Platform for Action (GPA) and the End-User Subsidy (EUS) Lab, with support from NORCAP, have developed a new report, “Leveraging Subsidies to Achieve SDG 7 in Humanitarian Emergency and Displacement Settings,” which analyses in depth 5 case studies across 5 countries. The upcoming webinar will present high-level findings and real-world learnings from Uganda and Mozambique showcasing effective subsidy models for crisis and displacement contexts.

Webinar: Africa Solar Outlook 2026 – Report launch
2026-01-14 10:00 - 23:30 (Africa/Johannesburg)
Be first to access Africa’s solar insights and trends for 2026. Join the online launch of the Africa Solar Outlook 2026, Africa’s most downloaded solar market report, for a live presentation of key data, country-by-country analysis, and thematic insights shaping the continent’s solar industry.
Gain actionable knowledge, understand regional developments, and see how the solar sector is evolving across Africa.

Why Attend the Africa Solar Outlook 2026 Launch Webinar:
1. Discover key trends shaping Africa’s solar markets in 2026
2. Explore country-by-country solar market data and regional dynamics
3. Understand policy, regulatory, and investment developments impacting the sector
4. See how utility-scale, C&I, and distributed solar segments are evolving
5. Hear directly from John Frédérick van Zuylen, CEO, AFSIA
6. Participate in a live Q&A session and get your questions answered

Webinar: PURE Growth Fund Insights
2026-01-22 15:00 - 16:30 (Africa/Nairobi)
REEEP will host a public webinar on 22 January 2026 to present key findings from the first application window of the PURE Growth Fund, our results-based financing programme supporting clean energy SMEs and agribusinesses in Tanzania.

Launched in May 2025, the PURE Growth Fund is a modified results-based financing programme designed to accelerate the uptake of Productive Use of Renewable Energy (PURE) technologies. PURE Growth supports small and medium-sized enterprises to scale clean energy solutions that improve productivity, incomes and resilience across agrifood value chains in Tanzania.

The first funding window generated exceptionally strong interest, attracting more than 50 applications from Tanzanian and international companies.
Collectively, applicants requested nearly nine times the funding available, highlighting both the scale of demand for results-based capital and the ambition of enterprises operating in Tanzania’s clean energy and agribusiness sectors.

The application process has provided REEEP with a rich dataset and valuable insights into:

Priority sectors and targeted value chains
Business models and technology approaches
Gender split within applicant companies
The geographic distribution of applicant companies
Broader market trends, opportunities and constraints

The webinar will also introduce the PURE Impact Index — a new metric developed by REEEP to systematically compare and reward the economic, social and service-level performance of SMEs deploying PURE solutions. The PII enables consistent assessment across diverse technologies, business models and value chains, and plays a central role in PURE Growth’s results-based approach.
To share these insights with partners, practitioners and policymakers, join us on:
Date: 22 January 2026
Time: 1:00 – 2:30 pm CEST / 3:00 – 4:30 pm EAT
During the session, the PURE Growth Fund team will present a detailed analysis of the application results and discuss what they reveal about the current PURE market landscape in Tanzania.

Webinar: AFRICA SDG 7 report launch
2026-01-27 13:00 - 14:30 (Africa/Johannesburg)
The African Energy Commission (AFREC) will launch the Africa SDG 7 Report on 27th January 2026, offering a continent-wide assessment of progress toward affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all. Join the online launch of the Africa SDG 7 Report and be part of the conversation shaping the road to 2030.

Webinar: Energy-as-a-Service - Learning from SolarAid’s Light a Village Pilot in Malawi
2026-01-28 16:00 - 17:30 (Africa/Johannesburg)
Although cash sales and PAYGo models have provided Tier 1 electricity access across rural sub-Saharan Africa, they remain unaffordable to, and are not reaching, the poorest and most remote communities. Energy-as-a-Service (EaaS) presents an alternative approach by spreading costs over a longer time period and guaranteeing sustained energy access for customers. While EaaS is a well-established business model in developed markets and in commercial and industrial applications, its use as a service delivery model for first-time household electrification is still relatively nascent. This webinar series will present findings from an independent evaluation of EaaS for first-time rural electrification, commissioned by Energy Saving Trust and delivered by Greencroft Economics, and explore how the model can be scaled to reach underserved populations.

Webinar 1: Learning from SolarAid’s Light a Village Pilot in Malawi
The first webinar will introduce the EaaS model and draw on lessons from SolarAid’s Light a Village pilot in Malawi, which delivered universal, first-time electricity access to rural households in an area where 97% of population had no prior electricity access. In this pilot, SolarAid is responsible for installation, maintenance, and customer service, while households and schools pay a nominal daily fee to activate their system. The pilot has been funded through several phases by a range of partners, including through the national Ngwee Ngwee Ngwee Fund. The session will present key findings from the pilot, drawing on operational lessons and customer usage / payment data. It will also delve into insights around affordability, utilisation and sustainability, based on the research report’s analysis of how EaaS can be designed to maximise cost-effectiveness and impact.
Speakers:
Laura Fortes, GOGLA
Jakub Vrba, Energy Saving Trust
Ed Day, Greencroft Economics
Daphne Pit, Greencroft Economics
Brave Mhonie, SolarAid
Austin Theu, Government of Malawi
Mfumu Kuseni, GIZ / EnDev Malawi

EEP Africa Knowledge Week
2026-02-10 - 2026-02-12
Tune in to EEP Africa Knowledge Week, a dynamic series of online events spotlighting emerging themes, entrepreneurial perspectives, and innovative projects in the clean energy sector across Southern and Eastern Africa.
Join them from 10–12 February 2026, 14:00–15:30 GMT+2 each day, for engaging sessions that highlight both sector trends and the lived experiences of entrepreneurs driving change.
Agenda:
10 February: “Scaling Charging Infrastructure for E-Mobility in Africa”
11 February: “EEP Africa's Call for Proposals Launch and Awards”
12 February: “Digitalisation & Artificial Intelligence in Energy Access”

Webinar: Energy-as-a-Service - Scaling EaaS across the off-grid solar sector
2026-02-18 16:00 - 17:30 (Africa/Johannesburg)
Although cash sales and PAYGo models have provided Tier 1 electricity access across rural sub-Saharan Africa, they remain unaffordable to, and are not reaching, the poorest and most remote communities. Energy-as-a-Service (EaaS) presents an alternative approach by spreading costs over a longer time period and guaranteeing sustained energy access for customers. While EaaS is a well-established business model in developed markets and in commercial and industrial applications, its use as a service delivery model for first-time household electrification is still relatively nascent. This webinar series will present findings from an independent evaluation of EaaS for first-time rural electrification, commissioned by Energy Saving Trust and delivered by Greencroft Economics, and explore how the model can be scaled to reach underserved populations.

Webinar 2: Scaling EaaS Across the Off-Grid Solar Sector
The second webinar will focus on the enabling conditions required to scale EaaS across the off-grid solar sector. It will explore how to structure public and blended finance to support EaaS, and how to define performance metrics that align with government, donor, and private finance objectives and ensure accountability. The session will feature insights from interviews with over 20 sector experts and their perspectives on operational delivery structures, and risk mitigation strategies. It will also present recommendations for policymakers, donors, and companies seeking to pilot or expand EaaS initiatives, and consider how EaaS can complement existing electrification strategies.

Webinar: Success stories in solar-powered agriculture
2026-02-19 10:00 - 11:30 (Europe/Amsterdam)
On the occasion of the launch of the Coalition for Action report “Solar-powered Agri-food Systems: Seven Success Stories”, this webinar will bring together stakeholders from the energy and agriculture sectors to explore evidence from real-world case studies on business models, financing mechanisms, and enabling policy conditions that support the scaling of renewables in agriculture.
Agri-food systems are a major consumer of energy, primarily derived from fossil fuels, while also being highly susceptible to the impacts of climate change. Transforming both food and energy systems is essential to achieve universal access to nutritious food and affordable energy in alignment with climate and nature goals. Agrivoltaics – the dual land use for solar PV and agricultural production – is an effective tool to address these interconnected challenges. Participants will share practical experiences that highlight the importance of user-centric business models tailored to local circumstances.
